Sports physiotherapy

Sports physiotherapy is described as an area of physiotherapy that can contribute to national, future-oriented health promotion and its claims, in order to promote the increasing political weighting of keeping the population healthy through sporting activity. Sports physiotherapists in popular sports work with athletes of all ages and ability groups, individually or in groups who have acutely injured themselves during sporting activity or who are recovering from such an injury. Sports physiotherapists in competitive sports must also have the skills to keep competitive athletes injury-free by means of special movement analysis or specific training programs. You are working more and more internationally, looking after globally competitive and training athletes.

Initial and continuing education

Malcolm et al. collected opinions on the tasks and behavior of a sports physiotherapist in independent interviews. Individual opinions on the positive influence of innovations and further education are mentioned here as examples:

• “Extra-occupational qualifications are extremely important and are becoming increasingly important in the course of (sports) physiotherapy, an M.Sc. especially to advance professionally and with a focus on skills. "
• "Special key roles require this one qualification at the master's level."
• “Physiotherapy is developing in the direction of ever-increasing further training and the associated evidence of skills. Being able to prove qualifications on paper is inherently better than if everyone said they could do this and that. "
• "Furthermore, in the field of sports physiotherapy, action , social and communicative skills are required to a high degree , which are promoted through subject-specific further training and critical discussion with colleagues."

Critical voices about the advancing academization and further education policy within the profession are also mentioned. This mentions the reluctance to academise, to specialize too early, and to apply gentle pressure from employers and influences from the environment. A lack of experience and a progressive specialization at the expense of the core skills of a physiotherapist are described as additional. “First of all, a sports physiotherapist has to be a good physiotherapist, only then should he specialize.” “University-trained physiotherapists no longer stand on the training ground in the rain without being paid for it. Some people lack the love of their job. ”In order not to lose touch with practical work through consecutive studies, opportunities for professional training such as sports physiotherapy are offered at the German Sport University Cologne (DSHS).

Area of ​​responsibility

According to Bulley & Donaghy, a sports physiotherapist can be defined as follows: "A sports physiotherapist is a recognized specialist who, while maintaining a high professional and ethical standard, demonstrates advanced competencies for athletes of all ages and performance levels to ensure participation in sporting activity, Instructions and movement corrections are given, and rehabilitation and training interventions to prevent injuries, to restore optimal functions and to promote athletic performance are carried out and adapted according to needs. "

Competencies and understanding of roles

In addition, a sports physiotherapist should have additional competencies that ensure a progressive increase in the depth and scope of the knowledge required and enable him to carry out the specialization within the physiotherapy profession. According to Bulley & Donaghy, the desire to work at master's level is an indispensable requirement for a successful sports physiotherapist. Qualities of a sports physiotherapist are promoted through further training in a variety of clinical areas that impart diverse experiences in many fields of application. The specialization is recognized within many national (sports) organizations, which in turn form the International Association of Physiotherapists.

Sports physiotherapists are pioneers in their field who, critically questioning and evaluating, develop new knowledge through research, apply it and use this knowledge as a basis to initiate changes in daily practice. The sports physiotherapist is a professional manager who is able to work in a multidisciplinary manner, is always open to changes, allows innovations to flow into the lessons and his own practice and thus creates the structures for the best possible practice.

The sports physiotherapist assumes various roles: advisor, case manager (micro area), service provider (meso area) and strategic (innovation) influence (macro area) also in health policy. The sports physiotherapist should have an understanding of the athlete and his injuries as well as the ambient pressure caused by external influences and should exercise independence in decision-making. This takes into account the securing of the duty to care for the athlete in a context of many possible conflicts of interest.

Standards and behavior

Standards in sports physiotherapy are criteria for performance and aim to provide explanations of the minimum requirements that can be expected from a professional therapist. Sports physiotherapy standards describe specific professional approaches and behaviors, including those unique to the profession, and others that are interlinked with general physiotherapy content. These, in turn, are always linked to the corresponding behavioral indicators. According to Bulley & Donaghy, this results in the following, partially deliberately overlapping competence standards for sports physiotherapists, which are intended to contribute to better communication and understanding of the image of a sports physiotherapist. The approach here is the general one, which is also required and promoted by the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Network.

The following modified table was initially developed through expert meetings at congresses to discuss behavior-specific competencies. Approaches, training levels and relationships in groups and competence teams were discussed and various competencies and skills as well as role models were described, which are summarized below to explain tasks or behavior and understanding of roles.

Role models and related competencies

Manager of a patient / client

1. Injury prevention

Assess the risk of injury in relation to the athlete's sporting activity in a (sport) -specific context, inform and train the athlete and other caregivers to minimize the occurrence and recurrence of injuries. Working environment of an SPT: clinical practice, training and competition, mostly as part of a team; Activities: Assessment of the risk of injury, professional assessment of the risks and the provision of information to safely improve performance in training, promote the development of greater exercise efficiency, advice and teaching with regard to the benefits and risks of certain environments and equipment or aids, continuous personal training and further training for entrusted supervisors, appropriate Integration of new information into decision-making processes

2. Acute intervention

Sports physiotherapists react appropriately to acute injuries or illnesses in the context of training or competitions, use communication with other supervisors to identify and develop a role and responsibility construct; Work environment: training, competition or event location; Activities: Communication with all other medical supervisors or helpers present, recognizing the corresponding signs and symptoms of the acute injury or illness, observation and measurement, diagnosis of the location and severity of the injury, clinical assessment of the further use of immediate help or medical referrals, observation of the corresponding Measures, appropriate evidence-based actions where needed (first aid, immobilization ...), protect the private rights of the athlete and thus information about the legal basis of care abroad and the requirements for exercising this.

3. Rehabilitation

Clinical reasoning and therapeutic skills for assessing and diagnosing sports-related injuries, developing, planning, performing and modifying evidence-based interventions as the goal for a safe return to the athlete's optimal level of performance in his specific sports field. Task area: entire duration of rehabilitation from the time of the injury to the provision of the optimal performance of the athlete after his return to sport, multidisciplinary approach in a team, in a variety of places; received: Analysis of the injury and the underlying process, application of measurement methods, clinical reasoning, research-based, sport-specific intervention, evaluation and modification of the intervention, advice on progress and return to sport, sensitive communication with the athlete and team

4. Increase in performance

Evaluation of the athlete's performance in (high-performance) sport; Providing performance-related advice to optimize the conditions for achieving maximum performance in a specific sport with the inclusion of interdisciplinary approaches; Advice and intervention on request or in the event of acute observation; complement other expertise depending on the competition level and the multidisciplinary context.

counselor

• Promote a safe, active lifestyle

  The role of the advisor relates to all active athletes in a holistic approach with the help of several expertises; evidence-based action on health care and health maintenance; Risk minimization; addressee-appropriate action mostly on request; Application of various communication strategies and showing understanding of the person seeking help

Professional leader

• Lifelong learning

  Maintaining or increasing clinical standards through critical, reflective and evidence-based action in practice; continuous process of learning and teaching in cooperation with other supervisors and responsible persons; the understanding of the role is based on lifelong training, as the function in a team is only possible in this way to maintain an optimal approach to service delivery; Reflection on practice and development of skills and abilities, as well as critical analysis of practice and research evidence; Identification of learning goals, development for optimal further training and knowledge acquisition, use of different learning methods, professional development of one's own learning progress that is adequate to a master’s course

• Professionalism and management

  Time, resource and human resource management with professional, ethical and legal skills; expand professional action and personal excellence in various (sporty) environments with a focus on recreation or sport; interdisciplinary linking of different professional fields; constant reference to personnel and services; Recognition of the sovereign, (inter) national guidelines; strategic planning goals; legal basis; Service management thought; ethical approach to work; Creating positive learning environments

Innovator

• Include research results in daily work

  Evaluation of practice and new information; Identification of questions and approaches for the following (research) studies in different areas; critical evaluation and reflection on the role of advisor and case manager and all work areas; continuous evaluation and development of one's own practice; pursue career and focus-related research content; Strive for participation

Interdisciplinary leader or innovator

• Dissemination of knowledge and the best possible strategies for action

  Dissemination of new knowledge to other supervisors and decision-makers with numerous possibilities from the media, at congresses, etc.

Interdisciplinary innovator or advisor

• Expansion of applications through innovation

  Improving one's own practice and stakeholders by appropriately incorporating new knowledge and innovations in a multidisciplinary approach and decision-making process; Influence and participation in the orientation of research areas and innovative projects to support the role of the advisor for individual interaction, in multidisciplinary contexts, for quality assurance of services and strategic development steps; Create access to continuously evolving sources; Establish reference to research content and innovations in sports physiotherapy and related fields; Promotion of science and research and their specific fields; critical and reflective consideration and discussion of new ideas and existing changes; Inclusion of these in practice, further training and teaching; Innovations are included in the decision-making process and considered at different levels (in sport).

Interdisciplinary leader or advisor

• Spreading the idea of fair play and observing anti-doping guidelines

  Dissemination and observance of the ethical and professional principles in dealing with doping in sports practice; Respect for the idea of ​​fair play; Observance of the duty to keep the athlete healthy; Fair play and anti-doping thoughts are relevant to all interactions with individuals who have a personal involvement in optimal sporting performance, including athletes of all levels, other supervisory stakeholders and relevant organizations. Prerequisites are knowledge of the current regulations and rules (on the subject of doping) in sport, observance and support of anti-doping practices, respect for the World Anti Doping Code, observance of the list of prohibited doping of the World Anti Doping Agency, cooperation and participation in anti-doping Doping and drug tests, demonstration of the duty to keep the athlete healthy. While the athlete is responsible for ingestion, the physiotherapist must protect him through his behavior and must not support or demand an intake, either intentionally or for naive reasons.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Retrieved November 30, 2011 . 
2. ↑ D. Malcolm, A. Scott: Professional relations in sport healthcare: Workplace responses to organizational change. Social Science & Medicine 72 (2011) 513-520.
3. ↑ M.Sc. Sports physiotherapy from the German Sport University Cologne. Retrieved November 30, 2011 . 
4. ↑ C. Bulley, M. Donaghy: Sports physiotherapy competencies: the first step towards a common platform for specialist professional recognition. Physical Therapy in Sport 6 (2005) 103-108.
5. ^ C. Bennett, M. Grant: Specialization in physiotherapy: A mark of maturity. Australian Journal of Physiotherapy 50 (2004) 3-5.
6. ^ M. Donaghy, S. Gosling: Specialization in physiotherapy: Musings on current concepts and possibilities for harmonization across the European union. Physical Therapy Reviews 4: 51-60 (1999).
7. ^ World Confederation of Physical Therapy. Retrieved November 30, 2011 . 
8. ↑ C. Bulley, M Donaghy: Sports physiotherapy standards: A minimum threshold of performance. Physical Therapy in Sport 6 (2005) 201-207.
9. ^ The International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 13, 2011 ; Retrieved November 30, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.